In Dreams
by Lizwontcry
Summary: Sara has a dream about Warrick and it does funny things to her image of him. What will happen to their relationship?
1. Default Chapter

I had never really thought about Warrick and Sara together, but then I read an interview with Gary Dourdan where he said the thought there was some great sexual tension between the two of them. So, here it is.

I don't own the characters, blah blah.

I woke up in a cold sweat, the bright sunlight burning my eyes. Damn, what was THAT all about? A dream about Warrick, really? That is so unlike me! I mean, Warrick.. he's a nice guy, and very attractive, but I've never thought about him in that way before.

I groaned. My dreams have always had control over my conscious, no matter what. If I had a dream about Warrick, that meant only one thing: I wanted him. Bad.

I looked at the clock - 9:30 PM, a few hours before shift started. I only had about four hours of sleep, but I didn't want to chance having more dreams tonight. Besides, sleeping was never a high priority anyway. I'd rather sit on the sofa and listen to police scanners when I'm not at work. It was a strange hobby, I know, but I really couldn't get enough of the crime enforcement life. It's just who I am, and I finally became comfortable enough to admit that to myself.

I took a long shower and tried my hardest not to think dirty thoughts about Warrick.

But, in a way, it was almost refreshing to have someone else to think about. It had been Grissom for so very, very long that a new thought about someone that wasn't him was a shock to the system. I loved him more than I had ever loved anybody, but he made it crystal clear that his work came before me. For a while, I focused so hard on penetrating that mindset that I got lost in it, and that was wrong of me. But, I thankfully learn from my mistakes. Gil Grissom was now just a fading thought in my mind.

As I got dressed in my usual uniform, a tank top and jeans, I thought about my working relationship with Warrick. We were on really rocky ground there at first, but that was just because I didn't really see his character. All I saw was a gambling addict who dropped the ball and was responsible for the death of that poor young Holly. But over the years I got to know him, and my respect has grown immensely for this talented and thoughtful man. I was proud to not only call him my colleague, but my friend as well.

I drove the short distance to work thinking about what this new "crush" meant for me and Warrick. We were great friends, but I had no idea how we would be as lovers. We were both very stubborn people, and I wasn't really sure how that would work in a relationship.

I sat too long at a green light and the car behind me honked. I shook off thoughts of a relationship with Warrick. It was just a dream! That doesn't mean we're going to get married or anything! "Damn, Sara, get control over yourself, you're about to go to work. The victims need you to have a clear head," I said out loud to nobody in particular.

I pulled up to the building and sat in my car for a full five minutes before I gathered enough courage to go in. I had done that many times before of course, but it was because of someone else, not Warrick.

"Get a hold of yourself Sidle", I tried to warn myself before I turned the car off. "This is a potentially dangerous situation. You were in love with Grissom for so long and then you FINALLY had a chance to go to work with no strings attached, no baggage at all. Are you sure you want to get into this?"

I wasn't sure of anything, but I knew it was time to go to work.


	2. Processing the evidence

Chapter 2

I entered the building, staring at my feet and not looking up at anybody just in case they could read my thoughts.

"Sara!" someone said loudly behind me.

I turned around quickly, maybe a little too quickly.

"What is wrong with you today, weirdo? I called your name like ten times!" Nicky said, giving me one of his grins. For a split second I wondered why I had the dream about Warrick and not Nicky. That would have been an interesting challenge. Oh well, I thought. Maybe in my next life.

"Sorry, Nicky. You know how it is. I'm just not all here today."

We walked together to Grissom's office. Catherine was already there, talking to him about Lindsay's dance recital.

"She was so great, Gris. I think she's going to be a star one day, I really do."

"We all think that, Cath. It's obvious. Sara, Nick, good to see you. Now, where the hell is Warrick?"

"Right here, boss. I'm not late, am I? I was in court." Warrick said, peaking his head in the office.

I turned around to see Warrick walking in. He looked so very good in his suit he always wore to court, and I tried not to drool so obviously on my tank top.

What am I doing? I am too old and too mature to be having adolescent crushes like this. My love for Gil Grissom was pure and tangible, but this crush on Warrick was totally childish. I tried once again to shake it off.

"Good, you're all here. Nick, come with me to the Hard Rock... they had a rock concert there tonight that got a bit out of hand, and I think there's 3 DB's and a few injured. Sara, you and Warrick and Cath take the drowning out on Lake Mead. This one's ugly... a guy lost his girlfriend and her best friend out there. Lots of suspicious circs, if you know what I mean. Okay? Let's head out."

Nick and Gil headed off in Gil's Tahoe with Brass, and me and Catherine and Warrick took a road trip to Lake Mead. I tried not to think of Warrick in inappropriate ways, but it was getting increasingly harder in the hot, cramped car.

We were halfway there when I felt Warrick jabbing my rib cage with his finger.

"Yo, Sara! What is up with you today, girl?"

"You know me, Warrick, I'm just lost in the case." I almost felt bad for lying, but what else could I say? "I'm thinking about you and me, naked, and it has nothing to do with the two women who just died at Lake Mead?" Yeah, that would be a pretty bad thing to say. I was also trying to get over the weird shiver that came over my body when he jabbed me earlier. Oh man.. I'm in trouble now.

When we got to the crime scene, Catherine sent Warrick off to talk to the witnesses, and together we processed the scene. We worked in silence for a while, and when we had a break, Catherine couldn't help but comment on my weirdness.

"Seriously, Sara. You're being way too quiet. What the hell is going on with you? We're only asking because we're worried."

I looked at Catherine, and tried to decide whether I should talk to her about it or not. On one hand, she was a woman and would understand my plight. On the other, we were processing a scene at the moment and it seemed wrong to talk to her about it while at a crime scene.

"It's nothing to worry about, Cath. We can talk about it when we're done with this case, okay? I promise, I'm okay. I'm just feeling a little weird."

She nodded, and we continued to process. 


	3. Realizations

When the sun was coming up and the heat was almost unbearable, even at this early morning hour, we were still processing the crime scene. Warrick came over to help while Catherine went home to take Lindsey to school. We worked closely together, and for a while, I was so into the crime scene that the dream didn't even occur to me. But when Warrick and I accidently ran into each other while both going for a stray cigarette butt, I remembered. And then I giggled.

"Was that a giggle I detected from you, Ms. Sidle?"

"Yes, indeed it was, detective," I said, batting my eyes. Oh my God, what was THAT all about?

"You're kinda cute when you're trying to flirt with me," he said, winking at me.

"I was not flirting! I am processing a scene, Warrick!" I said, protesting a little too loudly.

"Whatever, girl. I know your secret," he said. I highly doubted that.

After the scene was processed, we found ourselves back at headquarters. Greg was processing some of the crucial evidence, but it looked like the boyfriend, our prime suspect, was going to be cleared of the charges of the murders of the two women.

"So, if the boyfriend didn't do it, who did?" Grissom asked, putting his glasses on and looking our evidence.

"We're still doing some testing, but Gris, we think it might have just been a freak accident. Those kinds of things happen a lot out on the water, unfortunately." I said.

"Yeah, we wanted to pin it on him, but he was seriously distraught, Gris. He didn't do it," Warrick said.

When the case was finally closed (it was a freak accident, as we thought), Warrick and Catherine and I went to breakfast. We were all enjoying some pancakes and toast when Warrick got up to use the bathroom.

"Okay, girlie, quick! Before he comes back, tell me what the hell is up with you!"

I sighed, stabbing my pancakes with my fork.

"I had a dream about Warrick last night. I think.. I think I want him bad, Cath."

She snickered.

"I knew it had to be something like that, with the way your mind has been all over the place today. I think it's great that you're trying to move on from the Gil-"

"Cath," I warned, "let's not go there.""Fair enough. So, are you going after him, then? That would be interesting!""I don't know, Cath! That would get really ugly, right? Work relationships just aren't a good idea! What if we broke up? What if he cheated on me or something? I don't think that would work unless one of us transferred shifts, and I really don't want to do that."

Catherine looked around to see if anyone was listening. She saw Warrick on the other side of the restaurant, coming back to the table.

"Look, Sara, I have to tell you this. I've wanted to, but I never found a good time. Me and Nick? We've been dating for almost 6 months now. It IS possible, okay?"

I looked at her in disbelief, wanting to ask her a thousand questions, but of course Warrick had sat back down.

"Lordy, you girls are really weird today," he said, looking at us like we were aliens. "What's going on?"

Catherine grinned, and then suddenly looked at her watch.

"Oh, shit! I gotta go, guys. Lindsey and everything. Bye!" She threw some money on the table and practically ran out. She turned aorund and winked at me before she was out the door.

Warrick watched her go, and then turned to me.  
  
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you! Just don't look at me like that!" I said, turning away from those gorgeous eyes of his.

"Well, see, I had this dream. Last night. And it was kind of a stupid dream, but aren't all dreams stupid anyway? I mean, it's not like you can control them or anything, it's really just your subconscious trying to confuse you, right? Anyway, I had this dream, and it was kind of about you, but maybe it wasn't you? Maybe it was someone who represented you or something? But I think it was about you, but what does that really prove anyway? I mean, nothing, right? I mean, it was just a dream and dreams-""Sara! Shut up! Damn!"

I was quiet.

"I know when I have dreams about people, I feel a little different about them the next day. Is that what you're trying to tell me right now?"

"I guess," I muttered.He sighed and didn't say anything for a while.

"Warrick?"

"Welcome to my world, Sara. I dream about you every night, and every day I come to work thinking more and more about you everyday."I tried hard not to gasp. What was going on here? Were we in an alternate universe?

"So, what do we do now?" I asked impatiently.

He leaned over and kissed me softly, taking me by complete surprise.

"Why don't we start there?" He said, smiling.

More chapters to come!


	4. Confessions

You would think that after our intimate conversation that day at lunch, something would have happened between us. You would think we would have wanted to take it a step further, maybe do something about this THING that seemed to exist between us. But, it didn't happen. Things got really busy at work, and there just wasn't time. I barely even had time to think about him because of all that was involved with the cases lately.

But trust me, I did think about him. Sometimes, when we were working a case together or grabbing a bite to eat on the way back from a crime scene, I'd look over at him and I'd know. I knew he was thinking about me, too, and I ached for him to just say something about it, anything at all. I caught him looking at me wistfully from time to time, but nothing came out of it. This lasted longer than I cared to think.

One day after a particularly long shift, I was sitting at the computer doing some internet research. Grissom materialized out of seemingly nowhere and sat down next to me.

"Damn, Gris! You scared the crap out of me!"

"Yeah, I tend to do that a lot if you haven't noticed."

I gave him a little grin and continued my work on the computer. A few months ago, the intense look he was giving me would have sent my heart screaming into oblivion. But he couldn't do that to me anymore. I learned from my mistakes. Well, maybe.

"I want to talk to you, Sara."

"Go for it." I said.

He sighed, and then looked around the office, like he was dreading what he was going to say next. All of a sudden, I was dreading it too.

"I've noticed something lately, and I could be wrong. I usually am wrong about human relationships, we all know that. But there is something between you and Warrick that I've been seeing, and it's bothering me. It seems like you guys have lost that spark that used to happen when the two of you were in a room together. I'm not talking just romantically, but just with your friendship. You used to have a rapport, and I would enjoy that. But it isn't there anymore. I hate to think that any of my CSI's are having a problem, so that's why I'm talking to you about it. I mean, is it affecting your work or what?

I stared at him. What was this all about? He had never expressed concern about our relationships before, I thought bitterly.

"No, Gil, it hasn't. We are both professionals. We just.. I don't know. I don't know what to say, really."

He sighed again, and looked down at his shoes.

"Sara... okay, look. That wasn't really true. The real reason I've even noticed is really quite simple. Um, well, I noticed a change because.. you look at Warrick like you used to look at me. Okay? Don't look so shocked. I know you, Sara. I know all about you. I can read you like a book, and I know you have feelings for him. And I have to tell you something... don't lose him. I know how it feels to lose someone because I was so stubborn. I know how it feels to lose someone because I had too many reasons not to go for it. Don't let this situation end up like ours. Talk to him. Figure it out."

I was speechless. I could not comprehend this little speech Gil Grissom was giving me.

"What are you saying, Gil? I just.. I don't understand."

"You understand. I know you do. I want to be with you, I do. But you know me.. this isn't just a job for me. It's not a career. It's my way of life, and if I let anyone get in the way of it, even you, I wouldn't know how to handle it. Sara, you aren't like me. TELL HIM. Tell him how you feel, or you'll lose him like I lost you."

I didn't say anything. It was just too much. I knew if I opened my mouth I would cry. I knew it.

"You don't have to say anything to me, Sara. Just know that I wanted it to work out. I wanted the way you look at Warrick now to be the way you looked at me, forever. But it didn't work out, but you have a second chance."

Grissom stood up, giving me a look of silent desperation that sent shivers running down my spine. He left, and I knew we would never talk about it again. It was obviously freeing in a way... it made the little piece of my heart that still pines for him break in two, and finally disolve. I cried myself to sleep that night.

I rolled in the next day and went through the usual motions of working, but my heart wasn't in it and I didn't feel I was doing the case justice. When we had a break, I found Warrick in the lab, looking at some evidence Greg just printed out.

"Warrick, I need to talk to you. Can we have lunch later?"

He nodded. I didn't know if he had any idea what I was going to say."Good. I'm looking forward to it."

More to come! Thanks for the reviews.. please do tell me what you think about it.


	5. Discoveries

After fielding and denying Greg's request to come to lunch with us, Warrick and I were finally alone together, after almost a whole month of total and complete avoidance. I didn't understand why we admitted our feelings for each other and then completely shut ourselves down, but I just assumed it was all part of the CSI lifestyle. We work hard, and there's not a lot of time to play. I understood that, and for the most part I played along with it. But this was something I believed in, and I was hoping he believed in it enough to give this a try. I think we owed ourselves that much.

"Thanks for coming to lunch with me," I said, finding it hard to look at him.

"Yeah, well, you know," he mumbled, looking at the menu.

"Warrick."

"What?"

"Put the menu down. We've been here 1,000 times before and you always get the same thing. Look at me."

He hestitantly put the menu down and looked me in the eye. I wanted to look away because his look was so intense, but I forced myself to keep his gaze.

"You know what I want to talk about. I know you do."

He sighed.

"I know.. I keep wanting to talk about it, but there's never a good time. It's not that I don't want it, Sara. I think about you all the time. I dream about you almost every single night. I.. I just have some reservations about the whole thing."

"Come on, Warrick. We have a good enough professional relationship to not let that get in the way of things. If that's your excuse, it's not a good one."

He looked annoyed.

"First of all, hold up! It's not like you have exactly been pushing the gas on this little crush of yours! This is not a one-sided thing. And second, that isn't the reason. It's more complicated than that."

"Then what is it, Warrick? What's been stopping you? I've seen you with the ladies. If you want it, you go after it."

"I don't know.." he said, taking a sip of water. I wanted him to just spit it out, but he seemed hesitant.

"Okay, here it goes. We all knew you were in love with Grissom. You did a good job of hiding it for a while, but when it got too intense for you it clearly showed on your face. I don't want to get into that. If you still have feelings for him.. I don't want to get involved in a love triangle with the boss. I just don't. I'm not-"

I put my hand over his and he ended his sentence abruptly.

"You're right. I had a thing for Grissom for a while. For a long time. But that's over. Warrick.. these feelings for you aren't like the ones I had for him. They're pure and strong and real, and they aren't a fantasy. I want to explore this with you! I want to know what it's like to hold your hand, to kiss you, to lie in your arms.. I dream about it. More often than I would care to admit. And when we're processing crime scenes or listening to another Grissom lecture or whatever we're doing, you are always at the back of mind. Before I go to sleep, I think about what you're doing. When I wake up, I look forward to going to work to see your face. I'm in love with you, Warrick. I just am. And I want to do something about it," I said, breathlessly.

It was a long speech, and it wasn't what I rehearsed at all. It all went by in a blur, and I knew I totally butchered it. To make it worse, his expression never changed once. I don't think he even blinked. I wish I could leap inside his mind and see what was going on in there.

Finally, FINALLY, he broke into a big grin.

"That's just what I wanted to hear," he said, sliding into the booth next to me. "I am so in love with you, and this past month has been nearly unbearable for me, not talking to you, not having that comfortable working relationship we always had. I want to be with you. I'm so glad you came to me today.. I was driving myself insane with wanting you."

Before I could comprehend what was happening, he was kissing me. It was a blur of passion and pent up emotions and it was crazy, so crazy I could hardly stand it.

Between kisses, I managed to say, "Let's get out of here!"

"You got it, girl," he said, running his fingers through my hair and staring into my eyes.We kissed again, and I knew for a fact that I would become addicted to kissing him. Those lips! The man was talented. I was anxious to see what was lying ahead for us.

We walked out of the restaurant holding hands, not knowing where our destination was and not caring.

More to come! Thanks a lot for the feedback. Keep it coming!


	6. Secrets

A month or so later, after a particularly harsh case that we all were in on together, we found ourselves at lunch with Grissom, Cath, and Nicky.

Warrick and I were fully into the new, lustful relationship feeling. You know, when everyone loves each other, things that might become annoying later are cute little quirks now, and most importantly.. we couldn't keep our hands off each other. I loved the man for a lot of things.. his intelligence, his passion, his giving nature, for one. But the fact that there was fireworks in the bedroom helped things tremendously. We had a fiery chemistry.

I was happier than I'd ever been in the past 5 years of being in Las Vegas. I don't know what it was that got me so depressed. It was Grissom and his inability to show any kind of passion, that was part of it. But it was just the town, and how extremely depressing and seedy it could be. I loved Las Vegas, but it wasn't exactly the best place to live.

My dreams were even happy lately. When I used to dream about falling from the sky or not making it to school in time, now it was always me and Warrick together. Most of the time we were married, living together in wedded bliss. I wanted more than anything for that dream to come true, and I knew it probably would in time. We were just so perfect together! We took our awesome friendly and professional relationship and took it to the next level, and it worked. We had secret in-jokes, subtle glances, fiery conversations about our work and our politics and our hopes and dreams. It was beautiful, and I never wanted it to end.

At lunch, I sat across from Warrick because I knew if I was sitting next to him, I wouldn't be able to not touch him. On one hand, while we managed to keep our relationship at work strictly professional, I knew Grissom knew about us. I knew he saw the looks we shared, the moments that lasted a little too long to be casual. I knew he could tell why I was smiling all the time, and I hoped it made him happy. He told me that he wanted me to have the chance with Warrick he never had with me, so I hoped this was good enough for him. I really hoped he was happy for me.

I was sitting next to Cath, who was sitting across from Nicky. To outsiders in the restaurant, we were just some crime scene analysts who were hungry. To all five of us, we were a unique little in-group who couldn't get enough from each other. Nicky and Catherine had been together for close to a year now, and they still managed to keep their relationship under wraps. But I knew Grissom knew about them, too. He had known Cath for almost 20 years, and I knew there was no way he didn't have some idea about it. I almost wished that something would happen so we could all have normal relationships. I sometimes yearned to go on a normal double date with Nicky and Cath, but as long as we worked together, that would never happen.

I knew we were all skating on thin ice here. If someone from the outside caught on to the weird relationship between us all, there would be problems. I knew that, Warrick knew that, Catherine knew that, Nicky knew that, and, most importantly.. Grissom surely knew it. But he never mentioned it, and we all continued our little show for the viewing public. I was extra careful in public, most of all at crime scenes. I never forgave myself for calling Hank "baby" so long ago at the crime scene. It wasn't cool, and it wasn't professional. In truth, I knew that one or probably even two of us should transfer to a different shift, but none of us managed to ask for that form yet. We were playing a dangerous game, and it always made me nervous.

Meanwhile, back at lunch, Grissom was talking about something to do with bugs and nobody was really paying attention. Cath was trying to do bad things with her feet to Nicky under the table. Warrick was staring at me so intently I was actually wondering if his piercing blue eyes might burn a hole through me. When Grissom finally stopped talking, we all looked up at him, and we were all surprised to see something strange and different on his face. What was that? Was it.. a smile?

"What is that on your face, Gil? It's weird," Cath said, taking a bite of her french fries.

"A smile, Catherine. It's a smile. I do it sometimes, mostly when nobody is around."

"What are you smiling about, Gris?" I asked nosily.

"Well, I'm certainly glad you asked. I'm just happy that all my CSI's are happy and healthy, and that our unit is surpassing its expected results yet again, and that we're solving all our crimes and a few old ones in the process. You know. Happy."

I had a sneaking suspicion that this isn't what was really making Gil happy. I knew for a fact that he had been to Lady Heather's again, a few times. I was happy for him. I knew they had some kind of weird attraction to each other that I would never really understand, and didn't try to. I hoped Lady Heather was making him happier than I was ever able to.

"Come on, Gil. That's not all, is it? Tell us! We deserve to know." Catherine said, pushing his buttons.

"Okay. Well. I do have some good news for all of us. I know you guys have been wondering about a promotion," he said, meaning me, Warrick and Nicky. "Well, we got it. I didn't want to tell you right now, but I'm excited. You guys have been wanting this for a long time."

"So.. who's it going to be?" I asked. My heart began to fill with dread. I wanted that promotion, so very very much, but... it could complicate things.

"Not now! I'll tell you guys at the end of shift tomorrow. The paperwork isn't done, and there's some things I have to check into first. I know, I know, you don't want to wait. But it will be worth it. Trust me."

I knew things were about to get weird. As it turned out, the promotion wasn't the least of my problems. Things were about to get much worse.


	7. Admissions

Later, I had a dream. It wasn't unusual of the dreams I had been having lately.. there was happiness and flowers and clouds. In the middle of it, it started raining. This turned into a huge storm with hail and lightening and eventually tornadoes. The tornado swept me away into some dark place that I didn't recognize. It never stopped raining, and it was always dark, and somewhere in there I was attacked by three rabid dogs.

I woke up again in a cold sweat, knowing that this day at work was not going to be a particuarly good one if I was starting off the day with dreams like that.

Warrick sprang up and looked at me with a worried expression?

"What's wrong, Sar Bear? Are you okay?"

I smiled and kissed his forehead.

"I'm fine. I just had a bad dream, but it happens."He snorted."Especially in our line of work," he said. He gave me a long, lingering kiss and for a second, I thought about calling in sick to work so we could spend just a little more time together. But then I remembered.

"Warrick.."

"Yes, baby cakes?"

"I'm worried. About the promotion. I think we should talk about it."

He sighed.

"Damn Sara, I knew that's what was bothering you! What are you so worried about it? We either get it or we don't. Neither of us are going anywhere. They need us too much."

"I know, but..""It's not a big deal. Let's just see who gets it. We can talk about it later, okay?" He gave me another long kiss and for the moment I forgot all about the promotion. Especially when he stripped to get in the shower. But then again, I always forgot what it was I was thinking about it when Warrick was naked.

Later, at work, we gave our best to the crime scenes we encountered, but I knew that all had that damn promotion at the back of our minds. I knew it wouldn't be Catherine because she was as high up in the ranks as she could get without being the supervisor. It was either me, Nicky, or Warrick.

And by all accounts, I hoped it would be me. I felt I deserved it. I worked my ass off this whole year, and I knew Grissom was aware of that. I wouldn't tell anybody this, but I felt I went above and beyond, even more than Warrick and Nicky did. I wanted to move up in the world! I didn't want to be in this position forever. I had goals and ambitions, and this promotion was really going to put me in a better place for that.

When we were back at the station, I stalked Grissom in his office.

"Gris.."

"Sara, I know why you're in here and I know what you want to know. You'll have to wait, just like everyone else."

"Come on Gris! I want to know!"

He looked at me intently, seemingly trying to study me. It always made me nervous when he did that, and I never got used to it.

"Why do you want to know before everyone else, Sara? Do you think you deserve to know more than them?"

"No!" I stammered. Damnit! Why did he have to know me so well!

"Isn't there something else you could be doing right now?"

"I.. I guess."

I left his office, feeling a little bit lower than I did when I entered it. He knew me so well. The fact that another human being on this planet knew what I was all about, and the fact that it wasn't Warrick, unnerved me more than I wanted it to.

After Nicky and I processed some evidence and moved forward in our case, Grissom started paging us individually. I guess he didn't want us all in there at the same time lest one of us gets jealous.

He paged Nicky first. He left the evidence room and sauntered into Grissom's office, looking as cool as he always did. He didn't come back after 10 minutes, and I was really starting to get a little jittery.

After almost an hour, I was finally paged. I walked slowly into Grissom's office, my mind firing off bullets the whole time. I hate when I got like this. I hate when I need to be calm but instead I feel like doing cartwheels down the hall and screaming at the top of my lungs.

"Thanks for coming in, Sara. Sit down."

I groaned inwardly. Why was he being so formal?

"I know this has been on your mind for a while, and I know it's really important to you. I've decided over the past couple of weeks that someone in this unit really deserves a promotion, because the effort they put in their work, the time and the energy, is really something to behold."

Yeah yeah yeah, I thought to myself. Who is it?

"I've decided, Sara, that that someone is you. Congratulations, I'm giving you a well deserved promotion!"

I finally, for the first time that day, allowed myself to smile.

"Thank you so much, Gris! You will not regret this, I swear!" I leaped out of my chair and gave him a hug. He was not a hug type of guy, but he still accepted it willingly.

"I know I won't. You're the best person for the job, Sara. You know you are."

I turned to leave, wanting to skip and dance and whistle, when Grissom tapped me on the back.

"Be careful, Sara. This is good for you, we all know that. But some.. things in your life might get a little more complicated now. You're going to have to be more careful. Okay?"

"Yes, I know. It won't be a problem.

"Good. Congratulations, Sara."

I left the office, slightly deflated.

Later, Warrick, Nicky and Catherine took me out to celebrate the promotion. I knew we were treading on thin ice, all of us out together. We tried to make it look like a work event, but the love between all four of us was hard to deny.

I had a little to drink. Okay, I had A LOT to drink. So much that Warrick had to drive me and my car back to my house. When we got in, I pulled him closer to me for a long and passionate kiss that was meant to suggest I wanted something else, if you know what I mean.

"Easy, girl. Let's get settled in before you go molesting me."

"Warrick.. I love you!" I slurred.

"I love you too, baby," he said, kissing my forehead.

"I'm sorry you didn't get the promotion!"

"I'm not. You deserved it more."

"Come on, you don't really think that, do you? You wanted this for yourself! It's okay to just admit it!"

"Sara, really, it's okay. My time will come. It's no big deal."

I laughed hysterically. Some part of me knew I was pressing the issue and that I should probably just be quiet, but I ignored it.

"Come on, Warrick. You can tell me. Does it drive you crazy?"

He looked at me, hard. It was not a look I liked, at all.

"What do you mean, does it drive me crazy?"

"Does it drive you crazy that Grissom likes me better than you?" Oops. Did I really just say that? I knew it was a mistake the second it passed my lips.

"Damn, Sara. I've really been trying to be supportive for you, but you're making it so hard! Of course it makes me crazy! Of course it makes me doubt myself! It's so obvious why he picked you."Okay, now I was sobering up, and fast.

"Oh really? And what's so obvious about it?"

"Please! The friction between you guys is still so unbelievable! I know you've said that whatever you guys had is over, but I don't think it is. I think he picked you to make you happy. Honestly, if you really want to know the truth, I don't think he picked you on merit at all. That's what I think."

I stared at him. If he wanted to hurt me, these words were the way to do it.

"So. You don't think I deserve this?"

He threw his glass of water at the wall. I knew he had rage issues, but I didn't know it ever could apply to me.

"No! I don't! I wanted it more than anything, Sara! Why don't you get that?"

"YOU wanted it more than anything? What about me? I worked hard for it too, Warrick! I put my heart and soul in this fucking job!"

He shook his head.

"I gotta go, Sara. I think we've said some things we're going to regret later, and I just really need to get out of here."

He left, slamming the door. It would be the first time in months when we hadn't slept together.

I cried myself to sleep.

Okay, so that wasn't the best chapter ever. I'm going to take a little break over the weekend and maybe I'll come back with better flowing creating juices. Good times!

Thanks for all the feedback, and keep it coming!


	8. Apologies

I feel asleep after Warrick left, preferring not to think about how I just massively screwed up probably one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Since I was so drunk, I feel asleep rather quickly. I was grateful for that.

Work the next day was, as one would imagine, painful in every way. I was happy about the promotion and did everything I was supposed to do, paperwork and the like, with that. But I had a splitting hangover, and what was worse, I had no idea what to do about Warrick. Should I leave him alone for a while or should I go after him and make him talk to me?

It turned out that the decision was pretty much made for me. I didn't see Warrick all day and finally I asked Grissom where the hell he was.

"You don't know?" He said, looking at me through his glasses.

"I don't, Gris. Don't ask."

"He didn't come in today. Said he had some family issues to attend to. I was going to ask you what was going on."

I sighed, feeling my heart crumble inside my body. He couldn't even come to work to face me? That was so unprofessional, especially as a CSI. I knew he was pissed if he couldn't even do his job.

"We... got in a fight."

"About the promotion?" He said knowingly.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

He nodded.

"I expected that, Sara. It's hard when you're in a relationship with someone at work. You guys should have known that from the beginning."

Suddenly, I was just pissed off. It had been a long day, Warrick was mad at me, and I was getting frustrated with this fatherly act Grissom was trying to pull off.

"Whatever, Grissom. Who are you to be giving relationship advice to anyone, especially me? I think you are quite possibly the LAST person I'd go to for that. What do you know-"

I stopped talking when I realized the look he was giving me was not a look that an employee wanted from her boss.

"Sara, I'm sorry to say this, but with your promotion.. you really shouldn't be having such big explosions at work. Sometimes you have to contain your anger. I realize that you have big ambitions for yourself, and if you keep having outbursts like that, nobody is going to want you around their office. It's low for morale."

"But-"

"No, listen. I'm sorry that you and Warrick had a fight, but you can't take it out on everyone around you. Keep the personal issues personal, Sara. Consider that some good advice from me to you."

I wanted to fire back at him, to use my arsenal to hurt him. I knew what I could have said. Grissom was really a very sensitive person when you get right down to it, and I knew for sure that I could really wound him. But, I didn't. Fuming, I walked out of his office. I continued working on my case for the night, and when I was done, I just left. I didn't go marching right back into his office to tell him what I really thought. I left.

I drove silently to Warrick's house. I didn't want the radio to distract me.

On the way there I pondered our situation. We met at work. He loved me from afar for so long, and then we got together. We never discussed what would happen if it ended, what we would both do. I knew it would be unbearable to work with him if we ever broke up. For the first time in years, I wondered if maybe it was time to pack it up and go back to San Francisco. The situation in Vegas was just too volatile. I felt a little crazy sometimes. Having Grissom around me both calmed me and energized me at the same time. I felt like he was my back-up, like he was my protector. But I also felt he was the cause for most of my grief.

When I got to Warrick's house, I hesitated before getting out of the car. Would he be happy to see me? Or would he be pissed off? Or, what if he had another girl in there? I was so untrusting of men since that bastard Hank made me realize I was just another chick on the side.

I finally got out and knocked on his door, using our "secret knock." It took him a while, but he finally answered.

"Come on in," he muttered.

I walked in and noticed the empty beer bottles immediately. Warrick was listening to some soul music and getting drunk. This, I knew, was his way of dealing with the depression that sometimes took him over.

"Warrick.. I'm so sorry. I pushed all the wrong buttons last night and it was so wrong of me to question you like that..."

"Please, Sara. Don't act like you didn't mean what you said. You do think you deserved that promotion more than I did."  
  
"But-"

"Come on. Admit it."

I took a deep breath and let it out. I wasn't going to lie to him. Our relationship was built on honesty.

"I admit it. I think that I deserved it more than you or Nicky. Warrick, please understand that I never stop doing my job. I have no hobbies. Before you came along and changed all that, I never did anything but work 24 hours a day. I'm grateful to you for helping me understand that there's more to life than working. But I love working, and I know it shows."

He didn't say anything for a while.

"I know, Sara. I know. I've been thinking about that all day. And I think you're right. I think you did deserve it. I really do."

I knew he didn't, but he was trying to make me feel better. I was grateful to him for that.

"So... do you think we can get past this?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course we can, baby. You hurt me, I'm not going to deny that. But I love you, and we're going to be okay. You know that! Come here."

I sat in his lap and he held me close to him. He smelled like alcohol, but I ignored it. We kissed, and then there was more.

It was our first big fight, and at the time, I thought it couldn't get any worse. It did.


	9. Endings

This chapter is slightly dramatic and REALLY long, so be aware of that. You didn't think I wouldn't put any challenges in Warrick and Sara's relationship, did you?! I swear the next chapter will be a little more uplifting.

"Damnit!" Grissom yelled into the phone. "Damnit!"

We all stared at him in confusion. Everyone was in his office, called in for a group meeting. Before an incredibly grumpy looking Grissom could get any words out, his phone rang. He mumbled a few things, and then had that outburst. It was startling - Grissom never had a temper tantrum, especially not in front of all his employees.

He slammed the phone down and then turned to look at all of us, Catherine, Nicky, me and Warrick. We were all just one happy family lately. Warrick and I had been together for almost 6 months now, and things were getting pretty serious. When we were together outside of work, we made a pact never to talk about work. My promotion was STILL a sore subject in our relationship, and I tried not to talk about it much. Catherine and Nick were even more serious than we were - it looked like an engagement was on the horizon.

"I've had enough of this from my team! I put up with all of you getting all cuddly together because it didn't affect your work, and you were all doing a fantastic job of keeping it a secret. And frankly, when all of you are happy, I'm happy too. I admit, I've really been slacking as a supervisor. I shouldn't have allowed this. I should have transferred some of you to the day shift or something. This has gotten out of control."

He stared at us, waiting for some kind of response. I didn't say anything because I didn't think it deserved a response. Why did I have to defend my relationship with Warrick? Nobody else said anything, either. I think we were all just so shocked that Gil was shouting profanity at his phone.

"None of you have anything to say for yourself? I guess you're all so happy and in love that it really doesn't matter that the real world is going on around you. Well, guess what? We're all fucked."

Every single one of us gasped to ourselves. This must really be bad if Grissom was cussing.

"That was the sheriff on the phone. He was calling to tell me about two different cases, the murder at the Palms and the dead basketball player and his wife.. they're being turned over in court because of contamination. He didn't tell me all the details, but I can guarenfuckingtee you that all of your actions will be called into question when he gets here. He's on his way now. I could lose my job over this. If anyone knows that I've allowed this to go on for so long, I might not ever get a new job. My credibility is shot. I-"

"Grissom! Calm down!" Catherine said worriedly. "First of all, and I know I speak for all of us, we will all testify to the fact that you had no idea that this was going on. Why should you know? We hide it well."

We all nodded. Anything to protect Grissom.

"Second, even if our relationships were questioned, what's the big deal? Why is it so wrong-"

"Stop right there, Catherine Willows. You know exactly what "the big deal" is and don't try to pretend you don't. I swear.. you must be so in love right now that it's clouded your professionalism. I thought these relationships weren't getting in the way of work, but I don't think I'm right about that anymore. I can't believe I've let this go on for so long."

We all looked down at our hands, probably pretty ashamed of ourselves.

"I have your assignments here. Don't plan on going home after shift, you have the sheriff to answer to. It's not going to be pleasant or fun. Try to get your stories straight. Get out of here, you're all making me sick."

Grissom sent Catherine and I out to a car accident scene and Nicky and Warrick out to a high school football practice gone wrong. I was relieved that I didn't have to work with Warrick today so we couldn't talk about what might happen. But inevitably, Catherine and I got to talking while we were processing the scene.

"Grissom's right," I told her. "We really have been skating by, and one or two of us should have transferred by now."

She didn't say anything. I didn't push her.. I knew she was thinking about how she dropped the ball. How her normally strong character had been imploded by falling head over heels in love with Nicky. I knew the feeling. How could two normally sane women be so blindsided by love? It wasn't like us, and I knew we'd have to pay for it.

Near the end of shift, Catherine finally blew up. She had been storing it inside her all day, and it finally came out.

"I can't fucking believe this, Sara! Can you comprehend that all five of us are in serious trouble here? I think this might be the end for us. I think we're going to have to pay more than you think. And I think we might deserve it."

"Cath, come on. You don't know-""I do know. The sheriff is going to out for blood. We fucked up, Sara. And now we're going to have to pay the price."

We rode back to PD in the big black Denali and said nothing. I tried to block my impending doom out of my mind by thinking pleasant thoughts of Warrick. As one might suspect, this wasn't working too well.

After we dropped off our evidence to Greg, we painfully made the trek to Grissom's office, our heads hung low and our spirits even lower.

The sheriff and Grissom were both waiting, Nicky and Warrick already there, looking sullen.

"You're all here. Good," the sherrif said, looking at all of disgustedly. "Before I talk to each of you individually, I just want to inform you: we know. We all know about your subsequent relationships, and it's not good, not at all. These two cases that were overturned are going to look horrible for the department. You all worked hard on both of those cases, and because the four of you couldn't keep your hands off each other, two very bad humans will be walking out, free to commit more heinous crimes. I want you to think about that while I talk to each of you."

Grissom and the sheriff took off for the interrogation room, taking Nicky with them. Warrick, Catherine and I didn't dare speak. Warrick and I refused to look at each other, but he did reach over and squeeze my hand once before snapping it back to his side. I was grateful for the acknowledgement.

I forced myself to think about the victims of the two crimes that were now overturned in court. I thought of Bailey Hawthorne, the innocent girlfriend of the basketball player who got shot in a drug deal gone bad. Bailey didn't deserve to die, and she certainly didn't deserve for her killer to walk away, free.

Catherine was called in next, and then Warrick. I must have been sitting there for hours, just staring at Grissom's desk and torturing myself about what was going to happen to me. It was the longest day of my life and it wasn't even over.

"Sara. Come on." Grissom said softly. I followed him into the room, and sank into the chair, refusing to look at the sheriff.

"Thanks for waiting, Sara. We've been talking to everyone else and I'm pretty sure I have an accurate picture of what's going on here. So I'm just going to tell you what's going on, and then I'm going to tell you what we're going to do about it. Do you agree to those terms?"

I nodded.

"Good. On the basketball player case that you and Warrick worked on with Nick, someone spotted you and Warrick in an passionate embrace while processing the evidence. This source said they saw you kissing, and then going back to your house without coming to the station to drop anything or anybody off. Someone else saw you guys here in the station, and I won't go into what they saw, but believe me, it's far from the professional behavior I expect from CSI's, I can tell you that.

I cringed. One day Warrick and I got a little carried away and we ended up in one of the storage closets. I was not particularly proud of this fact, but it happened and there was nothing I could do about it now.

"Aside from that, there's many other things wrong with the evidence. Evidence moved, things left untagged, some pictures missing.. all in all, it's one big mess. Frankly, I'm appalled. I expected more out of all of you. It's not just you, Nick and Catherine have also been messing things up lately, too. I don't know what got into the four of you. Not to mention the countless times the four of you have gone out to lunch or dinner and have been completely oblivious to the fact that other people noticed this."

The sheriff truly looked disgusted. I didn't say anything. I couldn't defend my actions.

Grissom spoke next, and I knew it was going to be painful for him to say.

"If one of you leaves CSI, then this will stay quiet. If you refuse to leave, it will come out in all the papers and well, it just might ruin us."

I finally stammered, "What happens to you, Grissom?"

Grissom glanced at the sheriff.

"Nothing will happen to Grissom. I have looked over the evidence carefully and have decided that he had no prior knowledge of these relationships, although I don't know how he couldn't. He stays. One of you has to go."

"I'll go." I said.

"You'll go?"

"I'll go. I'll go back to San Francisco."

"Great. Thank you for your cooperation."

I was finally dismissed. Grissom looked at me with years of regret on his face, and I had to turn away before I lost it right there in the station.

I knew this was the end of me and Warrick. San Francisco wasn't the end of the world, but we were both going to be too busy to have a long distance relationship. He'd be too busy trying to get his reputation back, me trying to rebuild my reputation back in California. It was going to be too hard for both of us to maintain what we had here.

I collected my things and left the place I called home for so very long. I left the building, taking one last look at it.

I found Warrick waiting by my car.

"I'm going back to San Francisco," I told him.

"I figured."

"I'm sorry it had to happen this way."

"I'm not. At least we had a chance at something we really wanted. At least we found that love hasn't died, and at least we found it in each other. It's okay, Sara. We messed up. But that doesn't mean it wasn't good."

We shared one last kiss before I had to get in the car and drive away as fast as I could. I didn't want him to see me cry.

I was in San Francisco two days later.

The conclusion is coming soon! Sorry this was so depressing. Thanks for reading.


	10. Beginnings

**Here's the conclusion! I hope it makes up for the depressing last chapter.**

**This story was fun to write, and I hope it was just as fun to read. **

**Thanks for all the feedback, I really appreciate it.**

ONE YEAR LATER...

I woke up in a cold sweat, trying to ignore the dream I just had. In this dream, which I had at least twice a week, Warrick and I were happy. We lived together, and when I'd wake up from a long and dreamless sleep, he'd make me dinner before it was time for both of us to go off to work again. We had a dog, and we talked about kids. Sometimes there was a wedding in these dreams, just to torture me even further.

But at the end of the dream, right before I woke up, something tragic always happened, like a plane crash or a murder or something. It was like my subconscious was saying, "Here it is, you can have it, but not without a price." Sometimes I hated my subconscious.

I liked it in San Francisco, I really did. It just seemed easier to come to work everyday without having such intense feelings for the people I worked with. I liked the people I worked with, don't get me wrong. But none of them were like Gil, so into his work, so oblivious to social graces. And none of them certainly compared to Warrick, who was so passionate about his job it was like he took each case personally sometimes. I knew the feeling.

I missed Warrick. I missed waking up next to him, kissing him when he woke up, bad breath or not. I missed watching him get into the shower and tune out the outside world. I missed watching him get absorbed in a case and work his magic to solve it. I missed his empathy for the victims, and the drive that kept him going. We only talked once before I moved, and that was when I went to his house to bring him what he left at mine. We cried together, held each other until time ran out and it was time to go. We never said goodbye, but we never said we'd leave our options open, either. I tried to keep my eyes open for someone else, anyone to make the memory of Warrick get out of my head, but to no avail. I didn't want anybody else.

I tried to keep myself absorbed in work. I was lucky they even took me back, and I'm sure Gil had something to do with that. After working there for a month or two, I got my groove back and I was once again one of the best CSI's they had. I knew they valued me, and I worked extra hard to keep their respect. I worked so much that I hardly had time to let Warrick creep into my thoughts, but he did. He was sneaky.

On one frenzied night I was in my office (yes! I had my own office here!) absorbed in the diary of a young girl that was found murdered in her own bedroom. I was hoping we might find some clues in it. It was absolutely a heartbreaking diary, but I couldn't take my eyes away.

"Sara!" Someone in the hallway said.

I quickly turned my head to see Gil Grissom standing in my office.

"I called your name about seven times!"

"You know me. I'm so absorbed in work that I didn't hear anything," I said, trying to get past the shock of seeing him standing there.

"So, you have your own office here, huh?"

"Yeah, nice isn't it?"We had a moment of awkward silence.

"Gil, what are you doing here?" I asked. I was long past going through formalities with him. If I wanted to know something, I was going to ask him about it.

"Sara... I know you must love it here. You have your own office, you have your own cases, and I know you're making more money. But Las Vegas needs you. You know me, Sara.. you know I wouldn't come here if I didn't absolutely feel like I had to. And I have to bring you back. The replacements we found for you and Nicky just aren't working out. They're fine, just fine, but they aren't you. They don't have an ounce of the work ethic you have."

I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. I just stared at him.

"Don't look at me like that! What do you want me to do, get on my knees and beg? I'll do it. The whole department is suffering, we're behind on cases, and with you, that never happened. It's like you were part of.. a puzzle. And without you.. that puzzle just wouldn't fit together."

I finally found my voice.

"What about the sheriff? What about those cases, Gil? I left for a reason. It's not like I ran off to San Francisco for shits and giggles."

"The sheriff is drowning in bad publicity. He would hire a chicken if he thought it would help his image. We need you. Please."

"What about..." my voice trailed off.

"Warrick? I didn't want to tell you this while I was here, but he's lost without you, Sara. I know it's cheesy to say, but he really is. He just goes through the motions on his cases. I know he wishes he could just pick up the phone and call you, but I think he also knows its best that he doesn't. He's lost. We all are."

"Gil, do you know how ridiculous this sounds? What if we get back together? Then you're still going to have a conflict of interest on your hands! Then nothing has changed and what's the point?"

Gil shook his head.

"That is true, and one of you will definitely have to join the day shift. Nicky is coming back too, and Catherine has decided to take the day shift so she can be with Lindsay at night. They are getting married next month! It's just amazing."

I thought about coming back, working on the day shift, and finally seeing Warrick's face again. Just to know that I'd have a chance to even work with Warrick again made me weak.

"I'll do it, Gil. I'll take the day shift. I want to help."

He finally smiled, one of those rare toothy grins that was definitely not a trademark of Gil Grissom's.

"We'll be waiting for you."

Three weeks later I found myself back in Las Vegas. I didn't know what was going to happen, but I was happy to be back. Las Vegas, with its glitz and glamour and violence and crime, was my home.

As soon as the movers left my new apartment, I grabbed my keys, jumped in my car, and drove straight to Warrick's. I knew I'd probably be waking him up, but it was absolutely necessary that I see him.

He answered the door, wiping sleep from his eyes. When he saw it was me, he stopped abruptly and did a double take.

"It's me," I said, stating the obvious.

"Sara-"

"Warrick, listen. I'm sorry it had to happen that way. I'm sorry we got caught, and I'm sorry we got so caught up in the romance that we sometimes neglected our work. I don't need to start where we left off.. I just want to be in your life again."

Warrick looked befuddled.

"Damn girl! Relax! Just get in here!" He grabbed my hand and brought me inside his house.

"Warrick-" He quieted me by pinning me against the door and kissing me with a year's worth of missing passion. I lost all interest in speaking at all and surrendered to his kisses.  
  
Soon we were in his bedroom, engaging in a rythem we both knew so well.

After, when he was holding me, and we were enfolded, skin to skin, he whispered in my ear, "It's going to be okay. We're together in this, and if it's up to me we always will be. I'm so glad you're back, Sar Bear."

I wanted to talk about the last year and what it meant for us, how much I missed him and how much I regretted some of the things that happened in the past, but for now, this was good.

He kissed my forehead and laughed a little at the curious expression on my face. Soon, he fell asleep. As I watched him sleep, I knew it would be okay.

That night I didn't have any dreams.


End file.
